Vandals kill 700,000 honey bees in Sterling Heights backyard

Someone sprayed Timothy Fitch's bee colonies with a pesticide, killing all of them and destroying their honey. The Sterling Heights man valued his loss at 700,000 bees and $14,000, police said. (Macomb Daily staff photo by David Dalton)

A Sterling Heights man is dismayed that someone would destroy the habitat and kill more than 700,000 bees he raised in his backyard.

Timothy Fitch told police Tuesday someone sprayed his bee colonies with a pesticide, killing all of them and destroying their honey. He valued his loss at more than $14,000, police said.

Fitch, who lives with his family in a home on the 36000 block of Haverhill Street near Metropolitan Parkway and Van Dyke Avenue, told police the destruction occurred sometime between Jan. 15 and March 8. The bee colonies survive year-round, even during the freezing temperatures of winter, Fitch said.

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He said he was sick to his stomach when he discovered what someone did.

"They didn't bother anybody," Fitch said. "The neighbors had no problem with them and grandkids, my kids, everybody played in the backyard and the bees didn't bother anyone."

Fitch told Sterling Heights police the seven wooden towers that housed the bee colonies are valued at $2,000 each. The towers are now worthless, he said, because they are contaminated with a pesticide.

A Grosse Pointe Middle School teacher, Fitch said he spent many years researching honey bees and bee-keeping and thought it would be a great hobby.

"I read where 50 percent of the beehives collapsed and I thought I could help in the reproduction of bees," Fitch said. "I contacted the American Federation of Bee Keepers and with the information they gave me, I talked to my wife and, after some persuading, got started."

Jessica Fitch said she was apprehensive at first, but grew to enjoy the activity as well.

Fitch said he started keeping bees three years ago. He started with 10,000 bees and the colonies grew to 700,000.

"As the queen bees reproduce, the colonies grow," Fitch said. "People get the wrong idea because of stings, but most of them aren't from bees, they are from wasps and hornets."

Fitch said he doesn't know if he'll resume beekeeping, but he has a large yard and would like to start again. He also said he has no idea who would perpetrate the costly prank.

Sterling Heights police Lt. Luke Riley said police are actively pursuing this incident and would like to apprehend whoever killed the bees.

Anyone with information on the matter is asked to call Sterling Heights police detectives at 586-446-2801; or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 800-773-2587.